This is a Lincoln Rocker that was brought in recently for a new seat. The problem? The seat, according to the owner, had been replaced 4 years ago in New Mexico (before she moved to Ohio) and the new cane is failing. Once I got a chance to see it in person, it was very clear that whomever replaced the seat did so with a sheet of pre-woven cane.

Wouldn't pre-woven cane save labor time and cost for restoration? No.. Pre-woven cane should never be used for replacement in a hand caning set-up. (for more information: Sheet Caning vs. Hand Caning) The seat was wobbly and did not hold tension for the weaving to work together- putting more tension on less number of strands causing portions of the seat to take all of the strain, break and fail.

Underside- notice how the cane does not loop through holes

The weave didn't match up to the holes, the cane was the wrong size, among many other things... It is definitely frustrating to see this done to a chair and I'm sure it is very frustrating to pay to have this done to a chair and then pay again to have it corrected.

So what should you look for in a good hand caning work?

On top: Cane that is woven hole to hole, neatly and with uniform and tight tension to the chair. Binder strip that finishes the holes with cane that hugs the strip tightly to the chair.

Underneath: Neat loops of cane that hug tightly to the underside of the chair. These are the long strands coming up and down through the holes as the seat is woven and secure the cane to the chair.

Before and After

The new seat is ready for many years of use. The cane is light in color because it is fresh and will darken on its own over the years or, if the client should choose, could be stained.